These cookies have been my go to bake for years. They’re super easy to put together, and well, they’re everybody’s favorite. The cookies themselves are not “new age.” They are not salty; there aren’t any chocolate chunks; and the don’t contain dark and milk and ruby chocolate combinations. They have a very classic comfort to them. But I think the thing that makes these cookies special is the inclusion of almonds. While walnuts are the traditional nut for a chocolate chip cookie, walnuts can have a subtle bitterness and a soft mouth feel when cooked. Almonds on the other hand retain their crunch very nicely, and their sweetness, lovely in raw form, only rounds and deepens with baking. As a result these cookies are tender on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and loaded with sweet toasted almonds and melty chocolate.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that everybody loves these cookies. This is probably my number one most requested recipe. Here are a few tips to ensure that you hit them out of the park. Use a stand mixer. You can definitely mix by hand, but you will get an arm ache and curse me because the dough is dense and chock full of almonds and chocolate. Save your arm the trouble and use the stand mixer if possible.

Chill your dough. I really don’t believe there is a cookie or pie dough out there that does not benefit from relaxing in the refrigerator. There is magic in the time dough chills; the flavors in the dough meld more beautifully and the texture of the baked cookie is much more tender. All of us benefit from rest time; your dough does too, so if you can, chill your dough over night or at least for several hours.

Use an ice cream scoop to make evenly portioned cookies. It’s no surprise that similarly sized cookies look nicer, but this tip goes beyond appearances. Similarly sized cookies also bake more evenly. If one cookie is much larger than the others, it will take longer to bake, and you will have to try to balance different baking times for cookies sitting on the same tray. Additionally, ice cream scoops are sturdier than spoons. Cold dough is hard, like ice cream, so a strong ice cream scoop will save you a lot of trouble.

Finally, smoosh your cookies once they’re on the tray. Your ice cream scoop will give you a nice round ball of dough. For an even cookie, smoosh your dough gently with your hand so that it resembles the shape of a very thick pancake instead of a scoop of ice cream. The cookie will spread more in baking, but the smooshing will help it to spread more evenly and look more attractive at the end.

This recipe yields about 24 cookies. Should you find you have too many to enjoy all at one, you can freeze them. They thaw beautifully. Or even better turn any extras into ice cream sandwiches. These cookies sandwiched around peanut butter ice cream is an explosive combination.

Equipment:

• Stand Mixer

• Baking Sheets

Ingredients:

• I cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 3 cups all purpose flour

• 1 12oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1 cup almonds, roughly chopped

Method

1. Measure your flour, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl and stir well with a fork.

2. Cream the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix on medium until well blended, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times to ensure thorough mixing. Add the vanilla extract and mix again.

3. Add the flour mixture to your stand mixer in thirds. Mix on medium low until all the flour is incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl a few times to ensure thorough mixing. Once all the flour is incorporated and the dough comes together in a large ball, add the nuts and chocolate chips. Mix for a minute or so on low to evenly distribute the chocolate and almonds throughout the dough. Turn the dough out into a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

4. Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and line the baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Use an ice cream scoop to spoon out even portions of cookie dough onto the prepared sheets. Keep about 2inches in between each cookie as they expand in baking. Once the dough is on the cookie sheet, gently smoosh each ball of dough down to form a thick disk instead of an upright ball. This will ensure a nice even spread for your cookies as they bake.

6. Bake in the oven for 10-14 minutes. Your cookies will be lightly browned around the edges and soft in the middle. Do not over bake. Remove the pan from the oven, and allow your cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store the cookies in an airtight container on the counter for three days or in the freezer for several months.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes